We have been made aware of some incidents of premature reserve activation with the use of the older style flat soft pad handles with plastic inserts. If the plastic has permanently shifted during service life or the foam degrades, it can allow for the ball/shank to become lodged/caught which can contribute towards extraction of the pin prematurely if the rig is incorrectly fitted (person too large for the H/C), the incorrect reserve ripcord yoke size is installed in the H/C (Example: B yoke ripcord assembly installed in a C or D yoke H/C), or inadvertently while crouched tightly in an aircraft.